Thoughts from someone who remembers when we respected our president and enjoyed the esteem of the world; when our airwaves weren't polluted by rancid, hate-filled diatribes of reckless talking heads; when our Senators and Representatives legislated first for the good of the nation and not special interest agendas; when religion was spiritual, not political; and, the rights of women were respected, not constantly under attack by political panderers. We can do better.

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Hypocrisy, Thy Name is "GOP Values"

If you want to learn more about the married, father of three, Sen. Larry Craig's (R-ID) solicitation for sex in a Minnesota airport men's restroom to a man who turned out to be an undercover police officer.... you can read about it here, "GOP Senator Pleaded Guilty After Restroom Arrest."(WaPo)But, what you may get to not read, is this excerpt from Craig's impeachment statement about then President Clinton.... released to the Congressional Record, February 12, 1999:

"..... But I would submit that if a generation of young people are taught by our actions in this case that a lie carries no consequences, then the nation is at risk. If our citizens conclude that lawlessness in the highest office is acceptable, that their elected representatives are complicit in that corruption, and that nothing can be done to stop it, then the nation is at risk.Craig rhetorically built his over 20-year senate career around GOP conservative "family values" and anti-gay legislation.

Addendum: In a statement today, Craig said he regrets his rash decision to plead guilty, making it sound as though he made a hasty decision. He pleaded guilty one month after his arrest.He also said his poor decision to plead guilty was because a home state newspaper, The Idaho Statesman, had been hounding him, when in truth, an article about previous alleged gay sex encounters, including an underage male page, was suppressed by the newspaper until Craig pleaded guilty to the charge in Minnesota.Here is the police report from Minnesota.